If the Judge and Mrs. Logan had been as busy as usual, Brookdale might not have happened. Unseated in the 1896 election, James Harvey Logan could not return to his previous job as bank president because a close friend was doing it. Meanwhile, the former Catherine Murphy was experiencing a serious case of empty nest syndrome.
In 1880 the Logans had built their dream house on the heights overlooking Santa Cruz, taking advantage of the “boss view” of the growing city. The three-acre yard offered an ideal environment for gardening. The Judge, who had grown up on a farm in Indiana, had ideas about fruit. Hoping to reap the benefits of hybrid vigor, he planted raspberries from the East Coast next to “an improved wild blackberry of California.” The results of the experiment—the Loganberry–exceeded all expectations. Mrs. Logan, an accomplished cook, discovered that the new variety made excellent jam or jelly.
The ladies of Santa Cruz—those that could afford gardens–were entranced by rose culture. Buds with French roots were particularly fashionable—Catherine’s favorite was “Prince Camille de Rohan.” By 1882, she and her friends decided to host a “Rose Fair,” drawing large and appreciative crowd.
Organized and managed by women, the floral festival became an annual event. As the decade passed, the fairs featured increasingly elaborate costumes and theatrical settings. Lemonade flowed from fountains at refreshment stands, alongside strawberry shortcakes and ice cream, often provided by Mrs. Logan.
In 1890 the childless couple adopted a teenager. Catherine’s younger sister Elizabeth had lived with the Logans before marrying Theophile Turcot, a Canadian mining engineer in Virginia City, Nevada. When he decided to return home with their family, mother and aunt agreed that sixteen-year-old Josephine would benefit by attending high school in Santa Cruz.
Local education was augmented by extracurricular activities like the Young Ladies’ Cooking Club, which Josie quickly joined. Mrs. Logan and other domestic scientists tested the students by hosting parties to which each member brought a dish. Before long, the apprentices were bringing their homework to the fairs, where it sold well.
Santa Cruz and the rest of the United States suffered through hard times in the early 90s. The Rose Fair became a charity event, dedicated to “the benefit of the poor.” Despite noble motives and public pleas, the floral festivals were running at a loss by 1894. That year, the cooking club sold “perfect cake and ice cream” beneath a display commemorating the War of the Roses. Josie and her friends also showed off their developing skills by offering Turkish sherbert and oyster cocktails.
When the efforts of Catherine and other stalwarts resulted in another disappointment and a depleted treasury, many felt there was little point in planning another floral event in 1895. That was before town’s first female attorney, Mrs. Lucy Underwood McCann, came up with a spectacular idea.
- Randall Brown lives in Boulder Creek and works in Felton. He wrote the history of the San Lorenzo Valley Water District and is the co-author of “Santa Cruz’s Seabright.
